Naruto: I, the villain template, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 42 Zero Tail - Nothingness (Seeking monthly votes!!)

In the forest on the coastal border of the Land of Hot Water.

As far as the eye can see, there are lush, verdant trees.

But what is visible on the surface are many pedestals for human-faced statues.

This is the so-called "Land of the Sky," also known as the Sky Ninja Village, an underground fortress mainly made of stone.

On the stone throne in the main control room of the fortress sat a robust man.

He looked to be around thirty years old, with a thick head of long, jet-black hair, and appeared unusually young and arrogant.

Standing before him was a ninja wearing a flight suit and a sky ninja headband.

After listening to the ninja's report, the middle-aged man sitting on the stone throne couldn't help but show disappointment and sighed, "Still can't find an 'energy source' that can reliably provide power to 'Zero-Tails'?"

"I am very sorry, Lord Shennong, because the 'Zero-Tails' requires too much chakra, I am afraid only the legendary tailed beasts can provide the 'Zero-Tails' with a stable and continuous energy supply."

Faced with the apologetic attitude of the Kongren leader, Shennong simply waved his hand, frowned, and lowered his head in deep thought.

As someone well-versed in biomedical technology, he was not surprised by this situation.

As the ultimate weapon of the Sky Ninja Village, the destructive power of "Zero-Tails: Void" is by no means weaker than that of the real tailed beasts.

Once the "zero tail" charging is completed, the accumulated strength of a great power is nothing more than this.

With the Second Shinobi World War looming, he originally planned to use the power of the Zero-Tails to launch an aerial attack on Konoha while it was being held back by the Great Nation.

However, the current situation is somewhat precarious.

Although he didn't want to give up this excellent opportunity, the "Zero Tail" technology was not yet perfect.

Once the Zero-Tail's energy is exhausted, their Sky Ninja Village will be effectively half-destroyed.

"Since that's the case, there's nothing we can do about it."

After a moment's thought, Shennong still refused to give up. He looked up at Kongren in front of him and said in a cold tone, "The negative spirit and life force emitted by humans can also provide energy for Zero-Tail."

"In that case, let's kidnap people from the small countries near the Land of Hot Water. Whether it's a few hundred or a few thousand, we need to get 'Zero Tail' fully charged as soon as possible!"

"..."

Upon hearing this, the leader of the Sky Ninja was taken aback, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes.

The fortress currently holds more than a thousand humans. These humans are ordinary people who were smuggled into the fortress from outside and are backup "living sacrifices" to power Zero Tail.

It's enough if it's just for "backup" purposes. However, if you want to charge the Zero-Tails with just ordinary people, these thousand people are not enough. You need more humans to provide chakra and life force.

The number of people who need to be sacrificed is probably countless.

"Thrush, I have a question for you."

Looking at the somewhat reluctant leader of the Kongren tribe, Shennong gently tapped the stone chair and calmly asked, "In this world, humans without sharp teeth and claws are very fragile. But why has this world become a possession of humans?"

"..." The leader of the Sky Ninjas snapped out of his daze and respectfully bowed his head, replying, "Forgive my ignorance, but is it because humans use tools and chakra?"

"No, no, no!" Shennong shook his head, a smile spreading across his face, and whispered, "That's because humans are the most cruel of all living beings!"

"Humans have come together and achieved their current prosperity simply to gain a slightly more advantageous position than other species."

"That's how the world is, and that's how great powers are!"

"So it is with us!"

--------

"...Sky Country?"

Madara Uchiha's memories were interrupted. He glanced at White Zetsu with some displeasure and said coldly, "Where did this clown come from now on?"

"Ah! Lord Madara, I don't know if this matter is important, but I just feel that I should tell you."

White Zetsu shuddered from the glare and quickly shifted the blame before continuing to explain: "When I was remotely investigating the movements of Uzushio Village in the Land of Whirlpools, I discovered an organization near the border of the Land of Hot Water that called itself the Sky Ninja Village of the Land of Sky."

"Actually, I feel they're quite weak, but they have a lot of strange inventions, such as ninja tools that can launch projectiles, flying ninja tools powered by wind-style chakra, and their base is a hidden underground flying fortress..."

"According to our investigation, their leader is called Shennong. On the surface, he is a highly skilled doctor, but in reality, he is a guy who is proficient in medical ninjutsu. They are procuring a very large amount of supplies on the black market..."

"If I'm not mistaken, their target should be Konoha!"

White Zetsu recounted all the information he had gathered to Madara Uchiha.

However, Madara showed no interest in this and sneered, "Another fool with no strength but only ambition."

White Zetsu tilted his head, not quite understanding why Madara would make such a judgment, but dared not refute it.

After all, he felt that those ninja tools used by the air ninjas were quite a headache, flying around in the sky like troublesome flies.

"...Boring."

Madara shook his head indifferently, showing no intention of explaining to White Zetsu.

The ninja world has never lacked ambitious individuals, and this so-called Land of the Sky and Shennong are not the first ambitious individuals to attempt to challenge the Five Great Nations.

This situation lasted for thousands of years until he and Hashirama, with their absolute strength, finally ended the war between clans during the Warring States period.

The founding of Konoha ushered in an era of a single nation and village, bringing a brief period of peace to the ninja world.

—That's what Madara once thought, and he was once proud of Konoha.

However, after faking his death and escaping from the Valley of the End, he finally saw the true nature of this world.

See clearly this pathetic world filled with hatred, violence, desire, and pain.

The fact that all parties behaved themselves at that time was not due to the agreement reached at the Five Kage Summit, but simply because of his and Hashirama's prestige and strength.

With the successive deaths of him and Hashirama, Tobirama Senju, that good-for-nothing, had no power to maintain peace on his own.

Those guys naturally revealed their ugly faces, tearing up the so-called agreement and the extremely fragile peace without any restraint.

The scale of the First Shinobi World War even exceeded Madara's expectations.

It was no longer a minor family feud, but a real national war.

The one-country-one-village system is useless; as long as human desires exist, true peace will never exist.

Therefore, when Madara heard the news about the Land of Sky from White Zetsu, he was not surprised at all. Instead, he thought that such a thing was reasonable and not worth making a fuss about.

Therefore, he felt increasingly resentful and bitter about Hashirama's betrayal.

"The original intention behind establishing Konoha was to protect our comrades and families!"

"If my clansmen follow me, where isn't the 'Uchiha'? If we're still together, where isn't 'Konoha'?!"

"Now all of this is enough to prove..."

"Hashirama, I'm right, you're wrong."

A hint of melancholy flashed in Madara Uchiha's eyes as he murmured, "The one-country-one-village system we established back then is now nothing more than a repetition of the tragedy of the Warring States period..."

The three tomoe in his eyes gradually faded, and his black pupils became cloudy and unfocused. Only then did he resemble an old man, an old man reminiscing about the past and old friends.

As long as humanity lives, conflict is inevitable.

There will be hatred, and there will be suffering.

This curse is something that humanity cannot break on its own.

"Unlike you, who are content with the status quo, I am on the path of seeking peace."

Madara slowly closed his eyes and whispered, "Therefore, I will definitely complete the Eye of the Moon Plan."

Whatever the price of peace may be, everyone will be in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, no longer experiencing any pain or sorrow.

(End of this chapter)